The present invention relates to a holding device for releasably fastening a child seat to a vehicle seat, with at least one holding element being held in place by a screw fastening to the vehicle seat. The holding element has a holding leg that projects forward, runs transversely, and is aligned approximately horizontally, on which the child seat can be fastened.
A motor vehicle with at least one vehicle seat known from EP 0 694 436 B1 has holding devices for a child seat that can be fastened thereon. Two holding elements, arranged spaced apart in the transverse direction, are provided to hold the child seat to the seat back.
Each of the holding elements is formed by a holding loop, approximately U-shaped as viewed from above, with two lateral legs of the holding loop being passed through sleeves on sides of the seat. The lateral legs have threaded sections at their freely projecting ends, onto which sections nuts are tightened from the rear of the seat back. This arrangement is relatively cumbersome, since two screw fasteners are required to secure each holding element. The projecting screw fasteners at the rear of the seat back also pose an increased risk of injury to rear-seat passengers.
One goal of the invention is to simplify a holding element for securing a child seat to a vehicle seat and the associated screw fastening, and to make it incapable of causing injury.
This goal is achieved according to the invention by having each holding element formed by an annular holding eye, with a fastening leg aligned approximately parallel to the retaining leg of the holding eye being fastenable from the front of vehicle seat by only one screw connection on the vehicle seat.
Principal advantages achieved by the invention include creating a simple economical holding device by making each retaining element an annular holding eye, mounting from the front, and using only one screw fastener per holding eye. By locating an expanded supporting section on the holding eye, which abuts a spacing washer resting on the vehicle seat, tilt-free support is provided for the holding eye. The holding eye according to the invention can be manufactured simply and economically and can be installed and removed easily. With the holding eye removed, a covering cap is placed in the recess on the vehicle seat.
A threaded pin formed on the holding eye may be provided as the screw fastening, with the pin being screwable into a threaded receptacle on the seat. The threaded receptacle is formed by a Limbach nut, a weld nut, or the like, and is sealed fluid and gas tight. In another embodiment, the supporting section on the holding eye has a through bore through which a fastening bolt can be guided to secure the holding eye. The mounting bolt has a head portion that abuts the holding eye, with an external threaded portion of the mounting bolt being screwable into an internal thread of the threaded receptacle.
In addition, a weld screw can be fastened to the vehicle seat with a threaded shaft which projects through the spacing washer and the supporting section on the holding eye. A nut is screwed onto the projecting threaded portion.
The angular offset between the central axis of the screw fastening and the central axis of the annular holding eye means that the holding eye can be mounted in two different positions. A single type of holding eye is therefore usable in various types of vehicles (for example the convertible and coupe versions of a vehicle, with different positions of the mounting points for the child seat).